EURIAC partners apply for funding to continue cooperation

During the third project meeting conducted in Bilbao, Spain, in September discussions on how to carry on the EURIAC cooperation were carried out. The EURIAC partners are very eager to continue the development of the European class and to carry on the mobility exchanges. It was therefore decided that the Finnish, Swedish, and Dutch vocational institutions involved would apply for funding to carry on the collaboration. The Basque vocational college in the EURIAC project will not be able to join the new collaboration scheme since the institution and the vocational programme is sorted as higher VET. Due to this, the Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri can only apply for mobility funding from the Erasmus programme. Since different rules and requirements apply to the Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus programmes it will not be possible to carry on the mobility exchanges as the European class is designed today.

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We do hope that the new programme Erasmus for all will solve these matters. Even though the Spanish vocational programme is sorted as higher vocational education, the students are still at the same competence level in automation as the EURIAC students from Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands. It is a great pity for all of us that we will not be able to continue the exchanges with Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri. Pernilla Öhberg, project manager of EURIAC, explains.

Radius College (NE), Elof Lindälvs gymnasium (SE), and Optima (FI) have now applied for funding from the Leonardo da Vinci programme to continue offering its vocational students in industrial automation to participate in a European class (i.e. to carry out part of his/her vocational education abroad). The competition for mobility funding is extremely high in most European countries. Only projects of high quality built on stable, good partnerships will have a chance to receive funding. However, the involved partners have agreed to organise a European class and receive EURIAC students even if they themselves don’t get funding to send their own students abroad.

The new partnership has also decided to extend the mobility period from two to three weeks to be able to carry out more study visits and/or work placement if possible. Previous EURIAC students have also indicated they want to study abroad for a longer time.

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Two weeks is too short a period to get accustomed to all things new. It would have been great if the first two weeks of studying were accompanied by some weeks of work-placement, Fredrik Schyum, Swedish vocational student, says.

Experiences from the EURIAC project have provided excellent ideas and opportunities to carry on the development of the European class concept. The aim is to create a new consortium and apply for funding for an innovation project within the Erasmus for all programme to come. If you are interested in participating in the project, please contact: